Sugababes

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Sugababes are an English all-female pop group based in London consisting of members Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range and Amelle Berrabah

The group was formed in 1998 (20 years ago) when Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena met Siobhan Donaghy at a party. Following the departure of Donaghy, after some initial success, the introduction of Range, in 2001 (17 years ago), was met with the commercial breakthrough of number-one single "Freak Like Me" and parent album Angels with Dirty Faces (2002, 16 years ago). The band survived a second line-up change with Berrabah replacing Mutya Buena in 2005 (13 years ago). Chart success continued throughout and, to date, they have released twenty-three singles, six of which have reached number one in the UK, and seven albums that have reached top forty charts worldwide.

With sixteen of their twenty-three single releases achieving top ten chart success, album sales in excess of 5 million and 7 Brit award nominations, the trio have been named the UK's most successful female act of the 21st century. Upon the release of "About You Now" (2007, 11 years ago), the Sugababes became the only female act to have topped the single, album and download chart simultaneously twice, having previously achieved the same feat in 2005 (13 years ago) with "Push the Button". They have attained at least platinum certification for five of their albums in the UK. They have also gained success around Europe and Asia with number-one singles in 15 countries.

History

2000-2001: One TouchThe group was created when Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena, who had been friends since they were eight, met Siobhán Donaghy at a party in 1998 (20 years ago) when they were thirteen, and were introduced by manager, Ron Tom. Buena and Donaghy had been working separately with Tom, and while they were recording tracks for the album that would become the Sugababes' debut album, One Touch, it was suggested that the group might work better with a third member. Buchanan had been invited by Buena to come along to watch, and was asked to join if she could sing. Their band name originates from Buchanan's school nickname, Sugar baby, although the trio was officially known as The Sugababies during the recording of the album. When the band members were aged fourteen, London Records offered them a record contract and they tweaked their name to the more mature Sugababes.

Their debut single, "Overload", made the top ten on the UK Singles Chart and was nominated for a BRIT Award for Best Single, climbing to number three and number two in Germany and New Zealand, respectively. The group co-wrote most of the tracks on One Touch with the help of All Saints producer Cameron McVey. One Touch produced three more top forty hits in the UK—"New Year", "Run for Cover" and "Soul Sound". During a Japanese promotional tour Siobhán Donaghy left the group stating initially that she wanted to pursue a fashion career, eventually being diagnosed with clinical depression amid reports of in-fighting between the Sugababes members.

Heidi Range, a founding member of Atomic Kitten (11 walls), was announced as Donaghy's replacement in 2001 (17 years ago). The album peaked at number twenty-six on the UK Album Chart and at number seven in Germany. It was certified gold by the BPI and has sold 220,000 copies in the UK, according to Music Week. The sales of One Touch did not meet London Records' expectations, and they dropped the group in 2001 (17 years ago).

2002-2003: Angels with Dirty FacesHaving already started work on a second album with new member Range, the trio looked for a new record label, eventually signing to Island Records. Their first single on the new label, "Freak like Me"—a mash-up of "Are Friends Electric?" by Gary Numan's Tubeway Army and Adina Howard's "Freak like Me"—was produced by Richard X and scored the group their first UK number-one entry. Follow-up single "Round Round", produced by Kent-based production group Xenomania, also debuted on top of the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number two in Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Both singles were certified silver by the BPI.

On the back of these singles, the Sugababes' second album, Angels with Dirty Faces, debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and was a success across Europe, selling one million copies. In the UK, it was certified three times platinum and has sold 917,000 copies. The third single from the album, a ballad entitled "Stronger", gained the girls their third consecutive top ten hit in their native country. The track was released as a double-A side with "Angels with Dirty Faces" in the UK, the latter song chosen as the theme tune to The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002, 16 years ago). A fourth single, the Sting-sampling "Shape", made the top ten in the Netherlands and Ireland in early 2003 (15 years ago). The single featured a live version of "Freak like Me" which they performed at the 2003 (15 years ago) BRIT Awards, having won the award for Best British Dance Act. Their success led to the recording of a new track, entitled "Party in the Club", for the theme tune to ITV's teenage drama show Girls in Love, based on the book of the same name by Jacqueline Wilson.

2003-2004: ThreeThe group's third album, Three, was released in late 2003 (15 years ago) and reached number three on the UK Album Chart, earning the group a BRIT Award nomination for Best Album. Certified two times platinum, it has sold 855,000 copies. The album was preceded by Xenomania-produced lead single "Hole in the Head", which became the groups's third UK number-one single and their first chart-topper in Denmark. It also reached number two in Ireland, Netherlands and Norway, and became the Sugababes' first single to chart on the U.S. Billboard charts, reaching number ninety-six on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.

The second single, the Diane Warren-penned "Too Lost in You", appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Love Actually (2003, 15 years ago) and went top ten in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK. The album's third single, "In the Middle", was released in 2004 (14 years ago) and garnered the group another BRIT Award nomination for Best Single; like its successor, the ballad "Caught in a Moment", it went to number eight on the UK Singles Chart.

In 2004 (14 years ago), the trio joined acts such as Coldplay's Chris Martin, Dido and Robbie Williams on a 2004 (14 years ago) version of the 1984 (34 years ago) Band Aid's original "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which went to number one in the UK in dec. and sold over 200,000 copies in its first week. The money raised by this charity single went towards famine relief in the Darfur region of Sudan. After a break from the music industry, during the recording of their fourth album, band member Mutya Buena announced she and her boyfriend, Jay, were expecting a child. Their daughter, named Tahlia Maya, was born in Mar. 2005 (13 years ago). The group later gave their first performance for over a year at the Edinburgh Live 8 concert.

2005-2006: Taller in More WaysAfter a hiatus, the Sugababes released the Dallas Austin-produced "Push the Button" in Oct. 2005 (13 years ago). It debuted at number one in the UK, giving the group their fourth number-one single and first Irish number-one single. Certified silver in the UK, it was later nominated at the BRIT Awards for Best Single. It also went to number one in Austria and New Zealand, and is their biggest Australian hit to date, peaking at number three and going platinum. "Push the Button" became their most popular song in the United States, becoming another hit on the Hot Dance Airplay and Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts. In Oct. 2005 (13 years ago), Taller in More Ways became the group's first UK number-one album. The same week, the group celebrated being number one on the singles, album, airplay, and download charts simultaneously. In addition to Austin, Taller in More Ways saw the trio continue work with Guy Sigsworth and Xenomania, as well as Cameron McVey, with whom they had not worked since One Touch.

Following an apparent illness that prevented Buena from promoting the follow-up single "Ugly", it was announced on 21 dec. 2005 (13 years ago) that Buena had left Sugababes. According to an announcement on their site, "[Buena]'s decision was based purely on personal reasons and she will continue to remain the best of friends with both [Buchanan] and [Range]". It was found that Buchanan wanted to stay friends with Buena but found it hard as she never sees her. The last remaining original member, Buchanan, said upon Buena's departure, "...we will all miss Mutya, but we also knew there was still a place for bringing in somebody new who could help us carry on taking the Sugababes brand of music forward".

Amelle Berrabah joined the group in late December. Berrabah was chosen by the group's management and "[Buchanan and Range] instantly knew she was the only person to share the rest of the journey with us." Before joining the Sugababes, Berrabah had featured in the band 'Boo2' with her sister, Samiya. The third single from Taller in More Ways was a re-recorded version of "Red Dress", which was released in early 2006 (12 years ago), and gave the group a third consecutive top five hit from the album, entering the UK singles chart at number four. Berrabah re-recorded three tracks and co-wrote a brand new track with Buchanan and Range, and these tracks appeared on a re-release of Taller in More Ways that reached number eighteen in the UK chart.

Taller in More Ways was certified two times platinum in the UK, selling 886,000 copies. In early 2006 (12 years ago), the album earned a Platinum Award from the IFPI in recognition of over one million copies sold in Europe. The final single from Taller in More Ways was "Follow Me Home", released only in the UK in June, where it charted at number thirty-two.

2006-2007: Overloaded: The Singles CollectionSugababes returned to the recording studio to start work on their fifth album, in mid-2006, recording two tracks for their contractual greatest hits collection, entitled Overloaded: The Singles Collection. The lead single from the compilation, "Easy", was co-written by George Astario and Jason Pebworth from Californian band Orson, who share management with Sugababes. "Easy" was released before the hits compilation album, and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. The singles compilation was released in Nov. 2006 (12 years ago), peaking at number three on the albums chart in the UK. The album, certified platinum by the BPI, has sold 598,000 copies.

The compilation contains tracks from One Touch to Taller in More Ways, excluding "New Year", "Soul Sound", "Angels with Dirty Faces", and "Follow Me Home", most of which were not released outside the UK. A separate DVD—featuring fourteen of their music videos and karaoke versions— was released, as well as a special deluxe digital download version featuring live performances, a special digital download remix collection (entitled Overloaded: The Remix Collection), and a Napster Live Session featuring acoustic versions of four of their hits and their cover of Primal (8 walls) Scream's single "Rocks". On 6 Nov. 2006 (12 years ago), Sugababes joined Feeder on stage for the encore of Feeder's WAR Child gig at 'The Roundhouse' in Camden, London. They performed a cover of R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" and "Freak like Me".

Sugababes recorded the 2007 (11 years ago) Comic Relief single, a duet with fellow UK girl group Girls Aloud (29 walls), a cover of the hit "Walk This Way". Credited as 'Sugababes Vs Girls Aloud', the single was released in Mar. 2007 (11 years ago) in the UK and became the band's fifth UK number-one single (and the first with Berrabah). Mattel teamed up with Sugababes to create a new themed Barbie doll collection, which hit stores in May 2007 (11 years ago).

2007-2008: ChangeFollowing their Greatest Hits Tour, the Sugababes returned to the recording studio in mid 2007 (11 years ago) to work on a new album, Change, the first to feature Berrabah on all tracks. Producers who worked on the album included William Orbit, Dr. Luke, JC Chasez, Dallas Austin, Novel and Xenomania. With the release of the Dr. Luke-produced single "About You Now", the Sugababes were the first girl band to top the UK Singles Chart on downloads alone. The song also broke the record for the biggest jump to number one from inside the top forty, and remained at number one for four weeks. "About You Now" was nominated for a 2008 (10 years ago) BRIT Award for Best British Single.

In Oct. 2007 (11 years ago), Change became the group's second UK number-one album, debuting in that position and giving the band the top positions on the singles, album and download charts simultaneously. The next single, "Change", was released in dec. 2007 (11 years ago) and peaked at number thirteen in the UK. The third and final single from Change was "Denial", which reached number fifteen. The album sold 494,000 copies in the UK, and was certified platinum.

During this period, Sugababes appeared on the compilation Radio 1: Established 1967 (51 years ago) with a Lucas Secon-produced cover of The Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly Wow!", and were part of a choir of twenty-two female acts on Annie Lennox's song "Sing". In late 2007 (11 years ago), the song "3 Spoons of Suga" appeared on the soundtrack to the movie St Trinian's. From Mar. to May 2008 (10 years ago), the Sugababes travelled the UK on the thirty-date Change Tour.

2008: Catfights and SpotlightsSugababes went back into the studio after their Change Tour to write and work on their sixth studio album, Catfights and Spotlights, and Orson's lead singer Jason Pebworth, who worked with the group in the studio, described the album as having a "funkier" sound than their previous efforts. It was reported that producer Timbaland approached Sugababes to work on their sixth album, but because of time schedules a collaboration did not occur. British artist Taio Cruz, who worked with the group on the album, released a remix of his single "She's Like a Star" featuring additional vocals from Sugababes and Busta Rhymes shortly before the first single from the group's sixth album was released.

The lead single from Catfights and Spotlights was "Girls", and was released in Oct. 2008 (10 years ago). Although the single peaked at number three in the UK, it was the first lead single since that from their debut album not to reach number 1. The album reached number eight in the UK Albums Chart, was named the sixth-best pop album of 2008 (10 years ago) by the website Popjustice and sold 91,000 copies in its first three months of release. The album was also voted as the 3rd must have pop album by Amazon UK "No Can Do", the second and final single, was released in dec. and peaked at number twenty-three in the UK. In Jan. 2009 (9 years ago), the Publishing Right Society named Sugababes the fourth hardest-working band of 2008 (10 years ago) due to the number of arena concerts performed during 2008 (10 years ago). After the release of "No Can Do", the group announced that there would be no 2009 (9 years ago) tour in support of Catfights and Spotlights so that they may focus on writing and recording material for their seventh studio album.

In Mar. 2009 (9 years ago), the track "Nothing's as Good as You" from Catfights and Spotlights was featured in an advert on the Disney Channel promoting Disney Channel Original Movies such as High School Musical, The Cheetah Girls and Camp Rock. Around this time, rumors arose that Sugababes had in fact decided to split up after nine years together. However, the group quickly released a statement on their official website to say that the reports about splitting were not true, and that they were currently in the process of working on the next album.

Gigs in 2009Although there was no tour to promote Catfights and Spotlights, the group did play a number of open-air summer gigs where they performed many of their past hits, plus songs from their most recent album. On 27 June, they performed at the Cannock Chase Forest and at Thetford Forest on 11 Jul. in order to highlight the importance of Global warming. The Forestry commison that promoted the gigs stated, "That with multi-million sales and sold out tours, Sugababes has become synonymous with imaginative, cutting edge and effervescent pop music". On 10 July, the group play at the recently re-built Durham County Cricket Club’s Riverside Stadium. As well as doing other low-key gigs, they performed as one of the headlining acts for Roehampton University's Summer Ball along with The Zutons and special guest Jake Allen. On 18 July, the group were the headline act at Pontypridd's Big Weekend for the Saturday lineup. Due on stage at 8pm, they were a little late on, but whipped the crowd up with a range of songs from right across their repertoire. On 8 August, they are due to perform at the Ashfield show in Sutton in Ashfield nottingham, this is a free show on Saturday and Sunday however due to their performing on Saturday you need a ticket. All tickets sold out in 1 day. Ashfield Show 2009

2009-present: 7th studio albumOn 6 Apr. 2009 (9 years ago), Digital Spy reported that the Sugababes were preparing to fly out to the US to start work on their seventh studio album. The trio said that final arrangements were being made for recording the follow-up to Catfights and Spotlights. On 27 April, it was revealed that the Sugababes have signed a contract with Jay-Z's US label Roc Nation They will also be working with the production team StarGate who have produced music for Ne-Yo, Rihanna (16 walls) and Beyonce.

On 1 June, the Sugababes record label Island Records released the album Island Life - 50 Years of Island Records, the Sugababes covered the track "Teardrops" by Womack & Womack for the album, the track "Push The Button" by the group was also added to the albums final track listing. On 2 June, the band revealed that they had picked the first single to be released off the as yet untitled album. Buchanan stated on Twitter that the new single will be played on Radio 1 in the second week of Jul. 2009 (9 years ago) for the first time. The first single from their forthcoming seventh album, "Get Sexy", premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 7 Jul. at 16:51. It is set for digital release on 30 August, and physical release on 31 August. The video for "Get Sexy" will be screened for the first time on 1 Aug. on 4Music. Popjustice released the video two days early, giving fans the chance to watch the video on 30 Jul. at 5pm.

On 20 Jul. 2009 (9 years ago), Amazon.co.uk confirmed the album is set to be released in the United Kingdom on 23 Nov. 2009 (9 years ago). Keisha told fans on a Q&A on her Twitter, that the album will not be titled LP7, which was the title that Amazon advertised. On 25 Jul. 2009 (9 years ago), Buchanan announced the band would release two singles before releasing the album in November.

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